In the words of William Butler Yeats, “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”

We must credit our teachers who ignite the fire of learning in the mind of each and every child who yearns for knowledge whether they realize it or not.

Often, our best memories of childhood revolve around a great teacher, who inspired and changed our life. Their words, or actions linger in our memory decades after we leave school. Subconsciously, we emulate them as we pass on our knowledge to the next generation. Thus, a great teacher’s influence can last for many generations and leaves a foot print on our hearts.

But recent changes in education and the trajectory of reform threatens to change our attitude about teachers and puts them in the most untenable position of becoming an appendage for all that is wrong with Regents Reform.